The Store

The Village Store

The New Lanark Village Store was begun by Robert Owen. During David Dale's time as owner of New Lanark, small, privately run shops had supplied the needs of the community. Owen found these retailers to sell inferior goods at enormously inflated prices, and also found many of the villagers in debt to these stores.

Owen set up the village store to end this problem, and due to bulk buying, he was able to sell goods to the villagers at very low prices.

The village Store sold a wide variety of goods, both foodstuffs and household items.

In 1820, villagers could probably buy apples, barley, barley bread, beef, beer, butter, cabbages, carrots, cheese, coffee, dried peas, eggs, flour, mutton, pears, potatoes, rice, salt, sugar, tea, turnips, wheatbread and whisky.

Fresh food for the store was obtained from a farm at Bankhead, owned by the mill. The village had its own slaughterhouse, and vegetables were grown in a garden at the mill.

Bread was provided by the village bakehouse, situated in the building which ultimately became the school. A new bakehouse was eventually built by Owen's successors, who continued to run the store.

Other items were sold included cooking and sewing supplies, crockery, candles, soap, and whitewash.